Social networks are essentially a centralized database of relationships where users share content. A given person has a record in this centralized database, and then other persons may be either invited to enter the network or may voluntarily enter the network, and then also have a record in that database. Once two or more persons are part of that “network” (in reality, a database in a web site), one person can then “invite” another person to be his/her friend. If the other person “accepts” that invitation, then those two persons are considered “friends” in that social network. Centralized social networks like those can then further break down the relationship of two persons as “family”, “close friends”, and the like. Again, the two persons must agree on those relationships, and those relationships are predefined according to the central database programming of that particular social network web site.
Once a user is a member of such a network, the user can post messages (sometimes called “blog entries”), pictures, videos, links to web-based content, and the like. The user can also create albums (of photos, video, or other content such as music) that can be accessible only to “family” and the like. Such accessibility is only to those subcategories of friendship that the social network has pre-defined can be used.
With the growing popularity of mobile Internet devices (e.g., “smartphones”), more and more users are accessing social networks via their mobile Internet devices. However, there are a number of problems associated with accessing a central social network database via a mobile Internet device. For example, users must find out if their friends are (or are not) on the network and then invite them. There are also a number of valid concerns that users may have using a social network. For example, once content is posted on the web, it can be copied by others and a user may lose control of it. A user may not be able to delete the content, which may be particularly problematical if a user posted content by mistake or regrets posting it. There is also a concern that content may be searched by web search engines. A user may be concerned that he/she cannot finely control who can access their content. For example, if a social network had three subcategories of relationships, for example, “Friends”, “Close Friends”, and “Family” and a user wanted to share something with only his/her spouse and/or children (or “Immediate Family”), that would not be possible on the social network. A central database could also be hacked and/or hijacked, or a central social network may decide to demand ownership of content published on it.
In view of the foregoing, what is needed is a system and/or method that can be employed to solve the aforementioned problems.